You’re right, my questions were things that QJ might want to get answered over a multi-interview period. He’s doing a lot of interviews with different firms, so I thought I’d just post the whole list (and it might help others as well, who knows). That said, sometimes these “coffee” meetings go for hours (I’ve had that happen more than once) and turn into real interviews, so I wouldn’t say it’s obvious that it’s going to be short and informal. All of the hedge fund managers I know are very type A, and the way to get them to like you is to show that you “get it” with good questions and aren’t going to waste their time in the hiring process. I can’t even imagine one of these guys just meeting with some random guy to shoot the bull, in other words. Maybe your experience has been different, but that’s how it’s always been for me, interviewing at several funds.
Dwight Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Seriously. The OP is not interviewing this hedge > fund manager to see how well he understands > balance sheet analysis. i think its pretty obvious that if the guy is the cfo of a hedge fund he understands balance sheets…i’d want to know what he’s doing with the firms capital to respond to investor demand and what he sees as both his and his industry’s peers challenges are in the future. yeah, its coffee, but he def knows this and its information i could use to scope out the industry and further networking ops.
bromion Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > All of the hedge fund managers I know > are very type A, and the way to get them to like > you is to show that you “get it” with good > questions and aren’t going to waste their time in > the hiring process. bingo - ask good questions that show you are interested and can play the game. nothing worse than a back-and-forth off a brick wall.
coffee talk, who gives a whoop
Dwight Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Seriously. The OP is not interviewing this hedge > fund manager to see how well he understands > balance sheet analysis. BTW, he said CFO, not hedge fund manager, which would likely be CEO. CFO could be anything from administrative, to head executional trader, to CIO with a different name. Don’t assume that because people have a fancy title that they know everything or even know what they are talking about at all.
Right on. The CFO is generally the investor’s most importang link with the hedge fund. They are responsible for reporting the performance numbers. You should be speaking to an accountant or CPA rather than the investment whizz. Note - big issue if CFO = CIO = CEO. So if there is a job offer in this, it might not be what you expect. But an in is an in.
I just got back. This meet was more of a shoot the bull type of encounter. This HF was a FoF in the long short/EMN space. Right away I got the impression that the CFO liked how FoF operated and how they were necessary for institutional investors in this post Madoff era. So I didn’t bother asking about fees. The CFO has his own money in the fund so he eats his own cooking. One of the funds on their platform was FrontPoint Partners with Steve Eisman. It’s a small fund so I do not foresee them hiring anytime soon. But I did mention to keep me in the loop if he hears of anything.
What did he say when you asked him about CFA vs MBA?
QuantJock_MBA Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > One of the funds on their platform was FrontPoint > Partners with Steve Eisman. > Yids rule the world young QuantJock
Black Swan Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > What did he say when you asked him about CFA vs > MBA? Haha. I didn’t ask, I doubt I could keep a straight face if I did.
mar350 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > bromion Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > All of the hedge fund managers I know > > are very type A, and the way to get them to > like > > you is to show that you “get it” with good > > questions and aren’t going to waste their time > in > > the hiring process. > > > bingo - ask good questions that show you are > interested and can play the game. nothing worse > than a back-and-forth off a brick wall. True - have been there. It’s a fine line to walk depending on the person. Some of those questions just seem a bit pushy to me.
I’d ask his opinion on the future of markets…like has BRIC run its course? Gold set for a decline in 2011? These dudes love hearing themselves talk…
recentcornellgrad Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I’d ask his opinion on the future of > markets…like has BRIC run its course? Gold set > for a decline in 2011? These dudes love hearing > themselves talk… You skipped all the middle mails I guess